Todd Monken Reveals a Silver Lining in Browns Loss to Jaguars... And It's Surprising

The Cleveland Browns may have been dominated on the road against the Jaguars in Week 1, but Monken believes these two performances were major positives for the team.

Jul 30, 2026; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Austin Barber (58) blocks offensive tackle Izavion Miller (60) during training camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars came to a close, there wasn't much to be excited about.

And understandably so.

The offense looked abysmal, starting quarterback Deshaun Watson put together a rocky performance and the defense let Jaguars signal caller Trevor Lawrence walk all over them.

But when speaking to the media a day later, head coach Todd Monken was able to find a silver lining in the Week 1 defeat.

On Monday, Sept. 14, Monken spoke to the media, addressing the Browns' 34-10 loss to the Jaguars from EverBank Stadium. While most of his time was spent fielding questions about the future of the team, especially in regards to Watson, he took time to say how "jacked" he was with rookie offensive linemen Spencer Fano and Austin Barber, according to ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi.

"I'm jacked," Monken was quoted as saying. "Those two guys are going to be really good players. Austin, for jumping in there and learning early in the week [that] he was going to be starting. And Spencer is going to continue to grow..I really think we got some young, really good players."

Browns coach Todd Monken said he was “jacked” by the performance of rookie offensive linemen Spencer Fano and Austin Barber.

“Those two guys are going to be really good players.”

— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) September 14, 2026

Fano and Barber both joined the organization in this year's NFL Draft, being selected in the first three rounds.

The tackle out of the University of Utah, Fano, was taken with the Browns' ninth overall pick, while Barber came a few rounds later with the No. 86 pick. He joined the team out of the University of Florida.

While Fano immediately made it known he was a Day 1 starter, it took Barber a bit more time to settle in and carve out a role.

He was promoted to the starting group after interior lineman Teven Jenkins was named inactive in Week 1 due to an injury. Being thrown to the fire practically out of the blue could have rattled some youngsters, but Barber proved he belonged on the field.

Not only did Barber impress Monken, though, but he likely did the rest of the league.

The third-round pick registered the highest PFF offensive grade among rookie offensive linemen through Sunday, posting a mark of 82.6. That's nearly 10 points ahead of Detroit Lions offensive lineman Blake Miller, who was second in PFF's highest grades.

Highest offensive grade among rookie OL through Sunday

Austin Barber 82.6
Blake Miller 74.7
Vega Ioane 73.0
Kadyn Proctor 71.2
Keylan Rutledge 70.3 pic.twitter.com/rmHNIGthdj

— PFF (@PFF) September 14, 2026

Fano, on the other hand, had a tougher time as he was matched up with Jaguars edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen. He finished with an overall grade of 51.1, with a mark of 46.9 in the passing game.

He allowed three pressures in pass protection, but didn't let Hines-Allen get to Watson for a sack or quarterback hit.

Heading into Week 2, he will just have to cut down on that pressure he allowed, but either way, he did a good job of keeping Hines-Allen off the stat sheet.

Both Fano and Barber will have plenty more time this season to continue flashing that promising potential that Monken is so excited about.

The Browns will return to the gridiron on Sunday, Sept. 20, when the orange and brown match up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road. The two sides will go toe-to-toe at 1:00 p.m. EST from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.